Los Angeles Newsletter_April 2019

area newsletter APRIL 2019 • LOS ANGELES

20 19

Community News Two mixed-use projects planned near Vermont and Santa Monica

The area surrounding the intersection of Santa Monica Blvd. and Vermont Ave. in East Hollywood is becoming a focal point of development activity with two mixed-use projects planned for the area. The first project, located at 4632-4644 W. Santa Monica Blvd., calls for a 7-story residential building with ground floor retail space, and one level of underground parking. Construction of the new building would require the demolition of an existing commercial structure where the Union Discount Swapmeet is located. The second development being proposed would be built a block north, at the intersection of Vermont and Lexington Ave. That project would involve the construction of a 6-story building containing 29 apartments, including 3 units set aside for affordable housing, and would replace a building that currently houses a medical clinic. Both of the East Hollywood projects are located close to Red Line stations on Vermont and would therefore be eligible for incentives through the Transit Oriented Communities Guidelines, which allow developers to build denser residential projects, with fewer parking spaces, when located close to major transit stops.

County jail to be replaced with mental health facility

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors recently voted to approve a contract that would replace the Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles with a new mental health treatment center. The jail is one of the largest in the world and, having been built in 1963, is one of the oldest county jails in California.

Plans to replace the jail with a smaller, updated jail had been pending for years but with increased calls for greater mental health services, the County decided to pivot towards building a treatment facility instead.

Advocates point out that one in three inmates in the Los Angeles County jail system have been diagnosed mental health disorders while suggesting that funds intended for jail construction could be better used for treatment via public health programs. The Board awarded a $2.2 billion contract to McCarthy Builders, the firm that was expected to build a new jail. Under the new directive, the firm will build a mental health treatment center with a 3,800-bed capacity. Some officials expressed concern about the large size of the planned facility and the lack of input from mental health experts before the vote was taken.

Community News Two more hotels approved for Hollywood

A two-block stretch in Hollywood will be the home to two new hotels, which were recently approved by the Los Angeles City Council over a two-day period. The first hotel will be located at the northeast of Selma and Wilcox Avenues, will stand 8 stories high, and will be built by Relevant Group, the firm responsible for the Dream Hotel located next door. The Selma Hotel will contain 114 guest rooms and feature a bar in the lobby and a pool terrace on the roof. The second hotel will be located about 600 feet west at 1600 Schrader Blvd., and will feature 191 rooms on 11 floors. The development will include the rehabilitation of an existing 12-unit apartment complex and will feature 5,500 square feet of ground-floor restaurant space.

The Selma and Wilcox area is already home to two other hotels, Dream Hotel, which opened in 2017, and Mama Shelter, the former Hotel Wilcox that reopened in 2015. Two additional hotels are currently under construction near the intersection, with a third hotel being built at Wilcox and Hollywood.

The Mountain is now slightly cheaper

With the asking price now reduced by an amount that a typical buyer could never hope to afford, the property known as The Mountain is now available for purchase for only $650 million. Located atop the highest peak in Beverly Hills, the 157-acre parcel of undeveloped land was once owned by Princess Shams of Iran and legendary TV producer Merv Griffin, and was placed on the market last summer with an eye-popping price tag of $1 billion. Despite boasting 360 degree views, from downtown to Catalina, the owners were forced to drop a digit from their latest demand in hopes of finding a deep-pockets investor interested in developing the property. Experts indicate that a further reduction will likely be required.

Restaurant

Spotlight

Rosaliné

Luv2eat Thai Bistro

Park’s BBQ

8479 Melrose Avenue West Hollywood

6660 Sunset Boulevard Hollywood

955 S Vermont Avenue Koreatown

Rosaliné is a trendy eatery that serves modern Peruvian cuisine with a Californian influence. Their menu features entrees such as pork osso buco, grilled prawns, and paella made with Peruvian fried rice. They also offer separate ceviche and vegetarian menus, each with several options. Rosaliné has a full bar and are noted for their Sunday brunch, during which they focus on small bites like cauliflower pancakes and lobster rolls, and shareable dishes such as squash stew and chicken quinoa bowl. And their paellas are always a crowd favorite, regardless of the size of your crowd.

Though there are no shortage of Thai restaurants in Hollywood, be sure to add Luv2eat to your roster of go-to places. Though their space is an unremarkable strip mall storefront, they serve a wide range of tasty dishes with a focus on the curries and seafood dishes of southern Thailand. Among the favorites are their crab curry, pad see ew, and papaya salad. The chefs at Luv2eat tend to lean into the heat, so be sure to order your meal at an appropriate level of spiciness.

The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, seven days a week.

Park’s BBQ is one of the best Korean barbeque restaurants in Los Angeles and, according to the late Jonathan Gold, also one of the best 101 restaurants overall. Located in the heart of K-Town, Park’s offers a wide selection of fine meats, as well as a handful of stews and soups. Park’s prices are on the high end of the spectrum, but they also offer lunch specials ranging from $12 to $18.

SIGHTS & SOUNDS in LOS ANGELES

LACMA

Petersen Automotive Museum

5905 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90036

6060 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90036

J. Paul Getty Museum 1200 Getty Center Drive Los Angeles, CA 90049

CURRENT EXHIBITION:

CURRENT EXHIBITION:

CURRENT EXHIBITION:

Charles White: A Retrospective February 17 – June 9, 2019

Auto-Didactic: The Juxtapoz School September 29, 2018 - June 2019

Eighteenth-Century Pastel Portraits August 28, 2018 – October 13, 2019

Charles White was an artist whose work depicted African American people in a dignified and heroic light, mirroring his activism on behalf of civil rights during the mid-20th century. A noted teacher at what was then the Otis Institute of Art, White influenced later generations of African American artists such as Alonzo Davis, David Hammons, and Kerry James Marshall. This exhibit was organized in collaboration with the Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Modern Art and includes 100 drawings, prints and paintings.

Juxtapoz Magazine, known for featuring “lowbrow” and pop surrealist artists that would otherwise be considered as outside of the mainstream art world, has teamed with the Petersen Auto Museum to create a group show of artists whose work is often inspired by hot rod culture. The exhibit features many car-centric paintings and sculptures, as well as a number of vehicles that converted into moving works of work.

The exhibit includes work by Robert Crumb, Ed “Big Daddy” Roth and Robert Williams.

Celebrating a medium that is often overlooked in other time periods, this exhibit delves into the favored form of portraiture in late 18th century Europe. Pastels allowed the artist to create classically beautiful works without the arduous process that oil painting often requires. This flexibility coincided with the growing class of people who patronized portrait artists, creating a unique body of work that represented both an evolving craft and an evolving society.

RodeoRE.com